Aside from all the ‘hoopla’ that December brings, I always find myself reflecting on the past year.  2007 brought many smiles and a few tears to OWAC members.

The death of two of our past Board members brought a profound sense of  loss to OWAC:  George Carl 1941-2007 click here  and John F. Reginato, June 25, 1918 - July 28, 2007 click here .

                OWAC’s spring and fall conferences, in Bishop and Calaveras County, provided a bucket full of smiles, renewed many friendships, and offered enough exciting outdoor adventures to satisfy everyone.

                Work has already begun on the Conferences for 2008.  If you haven’t attended one recently, take the time and make the effort this coming year; you won’t be disappointed.                 

I hope you have enjoyed your OWAC membership this year as much as I have. If you have, share it with a friend who might enjoy becoming a member of our great organization.  Membership link

                Nominations for Board Members will soon be submitted.  If you are interested in becoming involved, contact Zack or me.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Gary Graham gary@garycgraham.com

New Email Address

My former email address, z.thomas@mac.com, is no longer valid. My new address is owac.director@gmail.com. Please make the change in your address book and set your email application to accept messages from that address.

 

Mid-winter Board Meeting

The mid-winter board meeting is set for Saturday, Jan. 12 at 9 a.m. in the boardroom at the San Mateo County Event Center in San Mateo. The meeting is open to all members. Space and seating are somewhat limited; if you plan to attend, please let me know beforehand, so I can make accommodations. See the ISE fact sheet under "Supporting Member Notes" below or visit www.sportsexpos.com for driving directions.

 

2008 Dues Statements

Dues statements were sent via email to Regular Members on Dec. 3. If you didn't receive yours, double-check your email. The message originated from owac.director@gmail.com, and the subject line read "OWAC: 2008 DUES STATEMENT." If you still can't find it, contact me. The deadline for payment is Jan. 18. Statements were sent via U.S. Mail to Supporting Members on Dec. 3.

 

Member Directory

The new Member Directory was distributed by email to all Regular Members on Nov. 25. The next update should be completed and distributed in late January. Supporting Members: You'll receive the January update, which should be more complete and accurate than the current version. But if you'd like the current version in the meantime, contact me.

 

Awards Program

Awards information and entry forms were sent out via email Nov. 13. If you didn't receive the email (it came from z.thomas@mac.com) or if you were unable to open the attachments, email or call me for help. There have been significant changes to the awards program this year, so read the information thoroughly.

 

Spring 2008 Conference

Preparations for the spring 2008 conference, hosted in Sonora by the Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau, are coming along well. The conference is set for Sunday, June 8 through Tuesday, June 10. For a preview of what Tuolumne County has to offer, visit www.thegreatunfenced.com.

 

Fall 2008 Conference

The fall conference will be hosted Sunday, Oct. 12 through Tuesday, Oct. 14 in Santa Barbara, "The American Riviera," by the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau (www.santabarbaraca.co).

 

Fall Board Minutes

Board of Director Minutes, Calaveras Meeting click here

—Zack Thomas, owac.director@gmail.com, (775) 562-4585

The mid-winter board meeting will be held during the ISE show, which runs from Thursday, Jan. 10 through Sunday, Jan. 13 at the San Mateo County Event Center (see fact sheet under "Supporting Member Notes" below for hours and directions). OWAC Supporting Members and Regular Members figure big in this show, so if you live nearby, seriously consider attending to visit with Supporting Members and attend seminars by fellow Regular Members.

Not only is ISE itself a Supporting Member, but several of our other Supporting Members are exhibitors, including:

• California Fly Fisher magazine
• California Waterfowl Association
• Mono County Tourism and Film Commission
• National Wild Turkey Federation
• Pure Fishing
• Redding Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Urban Park Concessionaires/The California Parks Co.
• Wilderness Unlimited

Say hello to Regular Member Jonathan Roldan at his Tailhunter International booth too, as well as Carrie Wilson and new member Robin Wade at the CDFG booth, and Sep Hendrickson at his Sep's Pro Fishing booth.

Also, several Regular Members will be presenting seminars at the show. They include:

• Bill Mays—"New Waterfowl Gear and Techniques" at 4:30 p.m. Fri.
• Craig Hanson—"Hooked on Fishing the Golden Gate!" at 3 p.m. Fri and 5 p.m. Sat.
• Tom Stienstra—"Best Wilderness Fishing: Cradle of the Sierras" at 5 p.m. Fri.
• Sep Hendrickson—"Trolling for Trout and Kokanee Salmon" at noon Sat. and Sun.
• Zack Thomas—"Do-it-Yourself Baja: Three Great Trailer-boat Trips South of the Border" at 7 p.m. Fri.

At 4 p.m. Saturday, Tom Stienstra will host the induction ceremony for this year's inductees to the California Outdoors Hall of Fame.

•           OWAC welcomes new member Robin Wade of Santa Rosa. Wade is Associate Editor and Staff Writer at Western Outdoor News, as well as Youth Fair Coordinator for WON and for the California Department of Fish and Game. She also serves Mobile Fish Exhibit Coordinator for CDFG. She can be reached at (707) 477-7460 or wadeinthewater2@aol.com.

 

•           OWAC also welcomes as a new member Tom Gatch of San Diego. Gatch is author of the recently released Hooked on Baja: Where and How to Fish Mexico's Legendary Waters (Countryman/W.W. Norton). He also writes regular columns on Baja California fishing for FishRap and the Baja Times. Gatch's work phone is (619) 291-3869; his email is tlgatch@sbcglobal.net.

 

Supporting Member Notes

•           OWAC welcomes new Supporting Member Kayak Fishing Magazine. Simi Valley-based KFM, the ultimate magazine for extreme sport in fishing, kayaking, gear and travel, was established in 2003 as an online publication and plans to launch a monthly print edition in spring 2008. OWAC's primary contact is Editor and Publisher Mike King. His work phone is (805) 582-2543; his email is editor@kayakfishingmagazine.com. Visit www.kayakfishingmagazine.com for more information. Also see KFM's call for submissions below.

 

•           OWAC also welcomes the Newport Beach-based monthly magazine Pacific Coast Sportfishing as a new Supporting Member. Our primary contact is Copy Editor Tony Trapolino at (949) 650-3474 or tonyt@pcsportfishing.com. For more on PCS, visit www.pcsportfishing.com.

 

•           Yosemite Association announces roster of affordable, interactive winter/spring outdoor adventures; highlights include guided naturalist treks, moonlight snowshoeing, winter photography and a chance to assist park rangers with their snow studies. click here

 

•           Kayak Fishing Magazine needs columnists, feature writers, photographers. click here

 

•           Updated fact sheets for the International Sportsmen's Expositions in California now available. Click here for San Mateo (Jan. 10-13) and here for Sacramento (Jan. 17-20).

 

•           Nomination period drawing to a close for wildlife viewing sites to be added to California Watchable Wildlife network (release from Nature Media Network). click here

 

•           Wood duck boxes from California Waterfowl Association make unique Christmas gifts for waterfowl enthusiasts. click here

 

•           California Waterfowl Association offering free classroom presentations and materials as part of Junior Duck Stamp program. click here

 

•           California Youth Waterfowl Hunt scheduled for Feb. 2-3; CWA compiling a list of duck clubs with openings that weekend. click here

 

•           Lake Resources Group, maker of IronClad soft baits, to sponsor 2008 American Bass Anglers American Fishing Tour. click here

 

•           Mammoth Lakes Tourism launches completely new website featuring comprehensive, searchable calendar. click here

 

•           Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman announces MLPA is coming to Southern California (release from United Anglers of Southern California). click here

 

•           Sixth Annual United Anglers of Southern California Garage Sale raises thousands to enhance resources and fishing; embroidered UASC fishing jackets now available. click here

Committee Update

Awards: Bill Becher and Jack Holder — Awards information and entry forms were sent out by email. Please read them carefully, as some of the rules, entry form questions and contest categories have changed this year.

         We are still lining up judges, so if any OWAC member have contacts with outdoor writers, editors and photographers outside of California who might want to serve as judges, please email billbecher@yahoo.com with their names and contact info.

         The Craft Excellence Awards are a big part of our Spring Meeting, so please dust off your best work and send in those entries. —Bill Becher

Tear sheets: Ken Jones— Send in a tear sheet, and you're automatically entered in a drawing for a free conference. Deadline for tear sheets related to 2007 conferences (Bishop and Calaveras) is March 1, 2008. Address is 1701 Lakeshore Dr., Lodi, CA 95242.

Outdoor Outreach: Ken Jones — Grant applications can be downloaded from the OWAC website at www.owac.org/president/outreach.htm.

         This year, each of the following five organizations received a $250 grant: Acorn Soupe, a group that connects kids in the Napa-Sonoma area with nature projects; The Lassen Park Foundation (for its youth camping program); Yosemite Outdoor Adventures (the educational arm of Supporting Member the Yosemite Association); the Placer Nature Center (to help deliver their "Learning from the Land" program for middle school students); and the Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute (to help send fifth-graders to Environmental Education Tent Camp).

Californian of the Year: Craig Hanson — At the Calaveras conference, the 2007 award was presented to State Senator Dave Cogdill of Modesto. Sen. Cogdill won the award primarily for his work on Assembly Bill 7, known as the Inland Fisheries Restoration Act of 2005, which dedicates up to 33 1/3% of the revenue from sport fishing license sales to maintain a schedule of fish production for state hatcheries based on a poundage per license formula.

         Keep in mind, we're always looking for a California of the Year candidate. The award is presented annually at the fall conference to a person who exemplifies the spirit of the outdoors through contributions above and beyond the call of duty. Please email Craig Hanson with nominations or questions. The 2008 nomination deadline is June 30.

Newsmaker: Craig Hanson — Got an idea for a future newsmaker topic and/or speaker? Email Craig at sfangler@mindspring.com.

         In Calaveras, Mike Jackson, general counsel to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and special water council to Plumas County, delivered a thought-provoking discussion of alternatives to dams for water storage in our northern counties. Michael can be reached at mjatty@sbcglobal.net.

Craft Improvement: Craig Hanson — It's likely we will present four craft improvement sessions again in Tuolumne County. Member feedback so far has been positive. If you have any additional positive or negative comments about the expanded craft improvement program, please email me or Zack Thomas.

         Building on the photography demonstrations presented by Zack Thomas and Bill Becher at Calaveras, I'm hoping Rick Martin will give away some trade secrets to Photoshop-ing his award winning photos at the spring conference.

         We're planning on carrying a web theme into a third consecutive conference. A member has volunteered to demonstrate how to piece together your own web page. He promises to make a functional page within the allotted time of the talk. We'll have more when we know it can be done.

Bylaws: Kathie Morgan — We are in the home stretch and believe that we will have a complete draft ready by the next board meeting.

Raffle: Carol Martens — It isn't too early to begin gathering items for the Spring raffle. Regular and Supporting members can contact Carol at carolmartens@earthlink.net or (818) 883-8125 regarding contributions.

History: Kathie Morgan — The History Committee has proposed a program called "Legends of OWAC" to honor our most distinguished members. We would appreciate membership input.

         The proposed criteria are 1) at least 20 years of OWAC membership and 2) some board service.

         The benefits to the recipients could include 1) a tangible award of some sort (plaque, certificate, lapel pin), 2) a free conference, 3) a two- to four-minute opportunity to speak at a conference, 4) a dues-free life membership.

         Do you like it? Would you prefer an amended version? Do you not like it? Why (or why not)? Please contact Kathie Morgan at (707) 838-3270 or fishrap@earthlink.net.

OWAC's Second President: Pete Ottesen (1988-90)

NOTE: OWAC Historian Kathie Morgan will be contributing a series of brief pieces on former OWAC Presidents.

Pete Ottesen — educator, duck hunter and award-winning journalist — took over where Tom Stienstra left off early in 1988. While Stienstra took over from Ed Ow the responsibilities of editing OWAC News, Ottesen held the reigns of the rapidly growing organization until mid-1990.

Ottesen listed his priorities in a front-page story in the newsletter: 1. OWAC News, 2. an annual Fun Day for getting together with fellow members, 3. creating opportunity for discussion of both sides of timely outdoors issues, and 4. determining a fair election process for OWAC officers. Under his leadership, election of OWAC officers was done by the members rather than directors.

When Ottesen became president, OWAC had just one conference — Monterey — under its belt. He arranged conferences at Red Bank Ale & Quail in Red Bluff, Spanish Springs (the first conference to invite spouses), Kirkwood Meadows, and Clear Lake. OWAC’s first awards program was developed under his leadership.

Featured Photographer: Bill Beebe

NOTE: If you'd like to share your photos as featured photographer in a future issue of OWAC News, contact Zack Thomas at owac.director@gmail.com or (775) 562-4585.

California bighorns in the San Gabriel Mountains. This photo and several others appeared in the Oct. 25, 2007 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle with an article by Tom Stienstra. For more of Bill's bighorn photos and for Tom's article, which discusses Bill's career, techniques and equipment, click here.

Whalers "fleshing" a whale off Malibu, 1937. Of this photo, Beebe wrote, "I did not take this one. It was from more than 70,000 negatives left me by the founder of Pacific Press Photos when he died in 1965. The founder of that agency, Emerson Gaze, gave me my first job as a news photographer in 1947. That photo was from the most amazing collection of whaling shots I've ever seen. He took them all with a 4 x 5 Speed Graphic. They appeared in the Jan. 21, 1937 edition of the Santa Monica Evening Outlook, the paper that I joined in 1964 after I left the L.A. Times. I donated all those negatives to the Santa Monica Historical Society with the provision that they be made available for the public. I intend to do the same thing with the 20,000 or so negatives and slides from my 60 years covering news and the outdoors."